By Kamil Opeyemi
A young lady identified as Najeebah has been reportedly killed by gunmen who abducted her and five other sisters in Abuja.
NPOReports correspondent gathered that Najeebah and her sisters were abducted on January 9, alongside their father.
It was gathered that the gunmen later released their father, asking him to go get N60m as ransom for the release of her daughters before Friday, January 12.
In a bid to raise money, Nigerians were urged to donate whatever they have into a bank account, but not enough money was gathered as of Friday.
Consequently, the hoodlums reportedly killed the oldest of the six girls, Najeebah, and dumped her body somewhere for her parents to bury.
While confirming the killing of Najeebah on Saturday night, the former Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, said he had spoken with the father of Najeebah over the remaining kidnapped girls.
“Inna lil Laahi wa inna ilaiHi Raajiun! I just read about the killing of our daughter Najeeba (400 level, ABU). I also spoke with her father about the remaining 5 of our kidnapped daughters. May Allah forgive her, rescue others & bring absolute peace to Nigeria,” Pantanmi wrote via his X handle.
Earlier, a former aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, called on the police to take necessary actions on the matter.
“I join fellow concerned Nigerians in urgently calling on the @PoliceNG through its PPRO @PrinceMoye1 to acknowledge and respond to the unfortunate incident involving the kidnapping of Najeebah and five of her sisters #NajeebahAndHerSisters more than a week ago. The information shared by a family member @Adamu_Asiya_ this morning indicated that the kidnappers have tragically killed Najeebah as a warning and demanded a N100 million ransom for the release of the remaining victims.
“We implore the Nigeria Police to prioritise this case and deploy all necessary resources to safely rescue the remaining victims. Thank you!” he said on X.
Reacting, the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the police would need to get in touch with a member of the victims’ family.
“Please let the family members or you relate with us codedly. Let them reach out to me on my personal line, and drop a message there. We have been working on it, but we need some info. We will try our best possible to emplace all necessary measures to rescue them unhurt. But we need to get some info pls. Thanks,” Adejobi replied.
Ahmad reverted later that he had linked the police with a senior member of the victims‘ family.
“Following our exchanges with @PoliceNG Public Relations Officer, @PrinceMoye1, I have spoken with a relative of Najeebah. We agreed that a senior family member would directly take up the matter with Prince Muyiwa in person, away from social media platforms.
“The family expresses their gratitude to all Nigerians for their concern and support during this challenging period.
“Now, with the authorities involved, we are hopeful that #NajeebahAndHerSisters will be swiftly and safely rescued and reunited with their family,” said.
Expressing his sadness over the incident, former vice president Atiku Abubarkar urged the security agencies to step up action to rescue the remaining victims who are still in the custody of the kidnappers.
“I am saddened by reports of the brutal murder of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, who was abducted with her siblings and has been in the custody of their abductors for almost two weeks.
“This is yet another reminder that kidnappers and bandits are operating unhindered in our country. The security architecture needs to be rejigged to the extent that it stems the free rein of criminal elements and guarantees the safety of lives and property. The security agencies should step up action to rescue the rest who are still in the custody of the kidnappers,” Atiku wrote